Starbucks to set up Global Capability Center in Chennai, creating 800 jobs

The MoU was signed in the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, Minister for Industries, Investment Promotion and Trade S. Keerthan, Minister for Industries S. Vijayakumar and CEO and Managing Director for Consulting Deepak Jacob | Photo credit: X/@Keerthana4VNR

The Tamil Nadu government has secured another deal in the Global Capability Center (GCC) arena, signing an MoU with Starbucks to set up its GCC in Chennai.

An official statement said the MoU was signed on Monday (September 21, 2026) in the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, Minister for Industries, Investment Promotion and Trade S. Keerthana, Industries Minister S. Vijayakumar and Guidance CEO and Managing Director Deepak Jacob.

The consultancy is a nodal agency that helps bring investment to the state.

The MoU with Starbucks is expected to create 800 high-value jobs in the first phase. Sources who were part of the deal said the industry minister had sent a memo to Starbucks to facilitate the deal.

Ms. Keerthana said, “We are delighted to welcome Starbucks to Tamil Nadu. The global brand of Starbucks choosing Chennai to establish its Global Capability Center is a strong endorsement of our talent, our capabilities and the business environment we are building in Tamil Nadu.”

She added: “We will continue to work closely with investors and do everything we can to facilitate their growth in the state.” In a post on X, she said, “We’ve just cooked up something powerful. From rich filter kaapi to Starbucks, the story of Tamil Nadu is going global.”

Last week, the Tamil Nadu government signed an agreement with Walgreens. The state also recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Chubb, an insurance company. His GCC will handle claims processing, AI-driven underwriting, fraud detection and involuntary operations serving Chubb’s Asia-Pacific portfolio.

Nordex, a German wind turbine manufacturer and world leader in renewable energy technology, also recently signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a GCC here, focused on product engineering and technology innovation.

Tamil Nadu hosts more than 450 Global Capability Centers, representing approximately 10-15% of the entire Indian GCC ecosystem, making it the third largest GCC hub after Karnataka and Telangana.

Published – 21 Sep 2026 14:52 IST